by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend University of Louisiana at Lafayette, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
At UL Lafayette, 54% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, for an average of $6,401 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
The average federally funded loan is $5,493, or about 99.9% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Note that average undergraduate loan amounts shown later do not include private loans — so the full freshman figure above is not directly comparable.
For undergraduates overall at UL Lafayette, 47% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $6,245 per year. That amounts to 13.7% above the freshman federal average of $5,493.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $12,490 across two years and $24,980 by the fourth year. This assumes steady federal borrowing and leaves out private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 47% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,245 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 5,762 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $35,983,163 |
The middle borrower at UL Lafayette owes $14,991 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $14,991 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,902 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,510 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for UL Lafayette.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,000 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $23,262 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,959 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at UL Lafayette.
PLUS loans — taken out by parents or graduate students — add to the total cost of attendance financed by debt at UL Lafayette.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 1219 | $13,114 |
| Completed (graduates) | 661 | $13,655 |
| Did not complete | 558 | $12,404 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $162.37/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at UL Lafayette.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 1204 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 15 | — |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1056 | $13,236 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 163 | $12,346 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UL Lafayette.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. The federal two-year cohort default rate for UL Lafayette appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 6.5% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2441 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,000 |
| Middle income | $14,750 |
| High income | $15,617 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,978 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $14,554 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UL Lafayette.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
Worth Knowing
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.